Leaves on the Trudgian Tree

Exploring the lives of one Trudgian family in Galena, Illinois through the eyes of their daughter, Lillian, during the years of 1913 through 1931. Lillian's authentic diary entries explore the family, neighbors, what is happening in Galena, as well as, national events and of course the weather and the crops!

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Location: Portage, Michigan, United States

Since all three volumes of "Lillian's Diaries: Whispers From Galena's Past" have been transcribed and published, I am currenting working on another book about the Trudgian (Tregian/Trugeon) family. This time it will be a novel based on historical events which involve my ancestors in Cornwall in the 1400-1600's. I have just started organizing my research so it will be a year or two before you will see it in the bookstore! I have just finished leading a Genealogy Class for beginners at my church. At the end of the six session class everyone had discovered some new information about their ancestors but there was, of course, many more questions to be answered. So I started the "Whispers From Our Ancestors" blog to provide a space for us to share our genealogical joys and roadblocks. Http://seekingourpast.blogspot.com is open to everyone doing genealogy - beginners to experts and all those inbetween.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

It was a cold and windy time my friends!

Saturday, February 28, 1925: We ironed and did the Saturday work. Friday, Dad & Len went to town and Aunt Annie rode along up home. It was very cold. We baked and washed.

On Thursday, Len went to Scales Mound to get oats. It was a very cold and windy day so Aunt Annie didn’t go home. We finished quilting my quilt before supper. Aunt Annie had come down on Wednesday afternoon to help us quilt. She staid all night.

Tuesday, we quilted some. It was a dark, cloudy day. Len sawed wood over at Bonhoff’s. We had put my yellow nine patch quilt* in the frame and quilted a little on Monday. There was no mail on Monday.

*Nine-patch quilt blocks initially contain nine equal squares. The squares are arranged three rows across and three down, as shown in this beautiful garden nine patch (block) quilt.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Snow, rain and a strange visitor

Sunday, February 22, 1925: It was cloudy, foggy and rainy today. Uncle Edd and Aunt Annie came down to dinner with the car. Rained quite hard this eve. Saturday was warm and cloudy. Did the usual Sat. work.

Friday Len, Ruby & I went up to Aunt Annie’s in the eve. As we were going cars were coming from all directions going to a big dance at Temperly’s. Thundered and lightening after we came home but did not rain. Thursday we had ironed and sewed some.

Wednesday, we washed. Ruby & I each made a dust cap that evening. Knucky called and paid his interest. Tuesday, Mr. & Mrs. Stauss came down in the morning. Len & Ruby took them to town with the car. Had a late dinner when they got home. About eleven thirty a man came asking for something to eat and for coffee. So we gave him some dinner. As he wasn’t dressed bad I thought he might offer to pay for it but he just thanked us. Wanted to get work on the new road.

Monday it was snowy most of the day. Quite cold. We sewed some & etz. Sunday was beautiful weather in the forenoon. Cloudy in the afternoon and snowy that evening. Cars were buzzing along the road. Dad, Ma & I went up to Aunt Annie’s that afternoon. Came home after supper. Ruby and Len went up to Scales Mound in the afternoon with the car. Just four years ago was our sale. It doesn’t seem so long ago.

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Something Extra IV

Challeges #6 & 7 from the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge on Facebook went fairly well.  #6 involved going to your public library's website and checking out the online databases available for those having a library card. There was quite alot of Michigan genealogy data and resources (not helpful for this Illinois girl). I was hoping for access to some historical newspaper collections but that did not seem available. Doing this exercise I learned how to navigate through the MEL and WorldCat data bases and today went to the WMU Regional Archive Center and was able to order the French book by Helen Trudgian that I have been looking for. It will be delivered to WMU and it can be copied, so I may soon have some answers about the mysterious Francis Tregian whose is the hurdle to me moving backwards to the next generation in the 15th century! I can't wait!

Challenge # 7 was to play with Google Maps to determine locations of addresses in your family history. My mother and I played for an hour together on the phone while she talked me through where her parents and grandparents lived in the Amberg Wisconsin area. The houses are gone....but with me on Google Maps and her remembering the roads and landmarks we were able to find a satellite view of the properties. We then went on to Middle Inlet Wisconsin to where my Dad and his parents - The Trudgians - lived....we didn't do so well there but did find my Trudgian grandparents home in Waterloo, IA and my Port grandparents in Chicago, IL.

Leaving the U.S. and traveling abroad it was much more successful as I not only found Golden Manor in Cornwall, England but multiple photos of the house,barn, etyc. That I had never seen before, including a watermill dating from King Henry VIII's reign. In Dunbar, Scotland I again was able to zoom into what remains of the Dunbar Castle (this is one of Dennis' surnames) but also found multiple photos. It just seems a whole lot easier to find a whole lot of more information.

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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Even Death Waits On Galena's Weather

"Saturday, February 14, 1925: Mother and Ruby went over to the cemetery to Mrs. Bastian funeral today. A few people from around here and the immediate family came out.

On Friday we baked and ironed. It was a very nice clear day. In the evening Agnes, Milton and Blanche came up to tell us that Mrs. Bastian was to be buried tomorrow afternoon. The funeral would to start from town at one oclock.

Thursday we washed. Len has a bad cold. Wednesday was quite cold. We sewed some.

Tuesday was colder than yesterday. Len went up and got Aunt Annie in the afternoon. And took her back that eve. Uncle Edd was at the supervisors’ meeting. Monday it cleared up. Mother and Ruby were all ready to go over to the cemetery to Mrs. Bastian’s* funeral when John Tresidder drove up. He said they wasn’t going to bring her out here yet as the roads were too bad. They were going to put the body in the chapel at Greenwood* till roads got better. Johns had started out for the cemetery and Milton called them back. He had word by telephone that they wasn’t coming out. We sewed that afternoon."

* Elizabeth Bastian ( according to the tombstone b.10-22-1836 d. 2 -6-1925) wife of Henry Bastian. Was held in chapel of Greenwood Cemetery [photo on left above] in West Galena Township due to road conditions and then brought out to Miner (Chapel) Cemetery [photo on right above] 8 days later.

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Monday, February 8, 2010

February in Galena

Sunday, February 8, 1925: We had very warm weather today. It thundered in the night and off and on today. About four oclock it rained quite hard with thunder and lightening. Dad went down to Tresidder’s this forenoon. He wanted to know when Mrs. Bastian will be buried. The services are to be at the house at one thirty. Dad stayed down to Tresidder’s to dinner. Saturday was very foggy and damp all day. Len & Dad went to town in the afternoon with the team. They heard that Mrs. Henry Bastian died Friday at four oclock. They did not hear when the funeral will be.

Friday morning Ruby & Leonard walked over the Station and went to Dub. They came back on the five oclock & walked home. Ruby got a new coat. It is grey. She paid eighteen dollars for it - a winter coat but not as heavy. It was very Friday and muddy. Len and Ruby had to hurry that morning to catch the train.

Thursday was another warm day. We sewed. Wednesday was a lovely spring day. But too warm for the roads. They were very muddy. Len went up to Uncle Edd’s and went with him to Walter Falancer’s sale. We had a early dinner and then us three women walked up to Aunt Annie’s. Len & Ruby came home before Mother & I. We had to stay to supper. Tuesday we ironed, baked bread, a cake, made applesauce and finished two night gowns. We had also made pies and a pasty* for dinner that night.

It was a nice day on Monday. We washed. That eve Uncle Edd and Aunt Annie came down to tell us that Boevers called up that afternoon to say that the Dittmar side was out in the Dittmar-Evan’s case in the appellate court. Sunday was cloudy all day. Snowed a little in the evening. Aunt Annie and Uncle Edd came down in the afternoon.

* A pasty (the 'a' pronounced as in 'cat'), Pasti), less commonly known as tiddly oggy or tiddy oggy, and sometimes as pastie in the United States, is a filled pastry case, commonly associated with Cornwall, United Kingdom. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty And a type of seasoned meat and vegetable pie, usually of a semicircular or distinctive shape. A (savory) hand pie; en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pasty. The Trudgians were miners and tinners in Cornwall and would have wrapped one or two of these in a cloth napkin and carried them in their pockets for “lunch”. They ate them cold or if eating at home warm…either way they are oh soooooo good!

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Something Extra III

I am continuing on with the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge that is currently running on Facebook. Last week I went over to the library and checked out how the Portage Library handles interlibrary loans. When I first asked I was given a list of 6 or 7 local libraries, and was really disappointed. I then went to their website and discovered that those libraries are what is called recipical libraries - meaning all I need to do is to walk in with my library card and I can check out the book myself. Interlibrary loan libraries cover the entire state of Michigan, including several universities and colleges. This opens a whole new world of finding genealogy material for me.

This week's challenge is to go to Worldcat.com and search for genealogy material. This was a real treat... I found Histoire d'une famille anglaise au XVIe siècle, les Tregian by Helen Trudgian, written as her doctoral thesis in 1934. Problem is so far I can only find it in France. It might hold the key as to how the Trudgian line came down from Francis Trdgian(Tregian) in the 1500s. If you run across it let me know and do check out Worldcat.com Our oldest daughter was a French major in college so she can translate for me so now I have two searches going on - this book and Lillian's 1920-1925 diaries.

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